The new year is off to a great start for Kingswood Oxford's Varsity Robotics team, which returned from Winter Break with news of a number of impressive awards.

In mid-December, the team traveled to Potsdam, NY, to compete in the Northern New York Championship FIRST robotics tournament at Clarkson University. FIRST is an acronym for For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology.

The Wyverns beat 23 other teams to win the prestigious Connect award, given to the team that best "connects the dots" among the school and local engineering communities, FIRST, and the business world.

In addition, after a full day with six qualifying matches, KO made it through the semifinals to the final round of competition, where the team captured second place.

In a separate nationwide competition, the Robotics team won an EKOCYCLE 3D printer -- a highly sought-after and valuable tool for creating the parts for the team's robot (among other uses). To enter, the students had to write a compelling essay explaining how the team and the community would benefit from the acquisition of a 3D printer. The contest was organized by FIRST and sponsored by 3D Systems and Coca-Cola. This will be KO's third 3D printer.

The Wyvern Robotics program has exploded since it first began at KO eight years ago. There are 13 students on the Varsity team -- co-captained by Robert Scappaticci '15, Peter Baczyk '15, and Claire Halloran '15 - and an additional 20 students on two different JV teams. And in the Middle School, eighth-graders students can join an FLL (FIRST Lego League) team on which they learn skills that will be needed for high school competition.

Kingswood Oxford has long been known for educating resourceful problem solvers; clear, confident communicators; and innovative and ethical leaders. For information about September 2015 enrollment, contact the Admissions Office (860-727-5000). Only those applications received by Feb. 2, 2015, will be eligible for merit scholarships, for which financial need is not a prerequisite.